Thank you so much for being you!!!
I love our two most progressing investigators so much!!!!!! They both are headed in the right direction!!! Tonight, we will be extending a baptismal date to one of them, and the other is right behind him!! Keep Forrest in your prayers!
I was so grateful for a chance to listen to our leaders!! Thing I love most, about these types of experiences, is the confirmation that we are all one through this gospel.
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Through the spirit of revelation and earnest seeking in prayer, I have been able to learn what the Lord's will is for me. And, not only do I have the right to the spirit of revelation, but I also have wonderful leaders. I've gotten to meet with my mission president, Elder Yamisita, Elder Choi, and Elder Gray E. Stevenson all with in this one transfer, and it has been a huge blessing. All that was taught, (maybe it wasn't even what was said, just the Spirit that was there, for he is the real teacher right?) was exactly what the Lord had revealed to me before hand.
As Christ says when we are one we can be made perfect.
We went to a conference in Dong-dae-moon, another place I consider to be home. The training was given by our area leaders, for the Japan and Korea missions. They are both Japanese and gave their training in English. Elder Yamasita is fairly good at English, but his wife speaks broken English.
Even though her teaching was very simple and she reminded me of a giddy little girl (being late in her 50's), the Spirit was strong and taught us. And, I know for a fact that she loves us. She kept on using simple but sweet phrases while looking us straight in the eyes. Things like, "We love you and God loves you!!" "You really special!" "You can do it!"
It reminded me of when I was a greeny in the Korea. Words really don't matter in the work. It is the way we handle ourselves, and show God's love through our actions!!!
I love the Gospel!!! And, I can feel God stretching my understanding of the gospel in 태백 Taebaek so much!!!!
So, people wonder what impact the Korean culture has had on me. There are so many!
One of the biggest impacts the people or culture has had on me is my sense of reverence. In the temple and in sacrament meetings, reverence is taken to a whole new level, when it comes to respecting the Lord. It is because they have amazing manners in Korea. Not only have I received a greater spiritual witnesses from the spirit because of that mannerism, but even how to show your respect for leaders in the church. It means the world!! Koreans are the best!!!
There are a 1000 more things that I have learned, but I think that is one of the best.
Another, is the realization of overworking. Koreans are so stinkin' studious, as students and in there profession!!! They are flippin' geniuses, and they achieve so much. I love them!!!!!!! But, the flip side to that is they miss out on things. There priorities get flipped, not everything in life is the next task to be done.
I feel that aside from the corrupt methods used by some of the churches here, such as pastors getting famous for speeches and get rich from tithing and so on, and the bad image that creates of churches in general, the biggest thing that Satan uses to halt the work is the "I'm busy" excuse. There is always work to be done or the next exam to prepare for, and so on. Even if we find some with interest in learning about God, that cultural aspect gets in the way of what matters most in life. What we offer is something that doesn't rust and cannot be corrupted by moths.
I have learned the importance of making eternal matters a priority. For the rest of my life I am committed to doing that, and to never tell my kids when they come up to me, "No, I am busy." Just saying those words sort of makes me gag at this moment. I mean after all they are the ones to whom I am sealed for the rest of eternity.
I have recently fallen in love with the "Gospel Topics" (a new feature in the Gospel Library that is like a new and improved True to the Faith). Under Becoming Like God (One of my favorite gospel topics to read from, at the moment, I could read it over and over) it says this, "Latter-day Saints tend to imagine exaltation through the lens of the sacred in mortal experience... Church members imagine exaltation less through images of what they will get and more through the relationships they have now and how those relationships might be purified and elevated. As the scriptures teach, That same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy." The things that matter most are people and the relationships we have!
I love being a missionary and serving God's children in Korea!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment